Phil Miller covered three seasons of Twins baseball, but that was at a different ballpark for a different newspaper. Now Miller returns to the baseball beat after joining the Star Tribune as the Gopher football writer in 2010, and he won't miss the dingy dome for a minute. In addition to the Twins and Gophers, Miller covered the Utah Jazz and the NBA for six years at The Salt Lake Tribune.

Arcia takes batting practice as Twins open homestand

The Twins are second in the league in scoring -- and reinforcements are on the way.

Oswaldo Arcia took batting practice with his teammates and worked out on the field, and reports that the pain in his wrist has disappeared. Josh Willingham still feels some discomfort in his wrist, but it's healing, too. Arcia could ship out for a rehab stint in the minor leagues within the next couple of days, Ron Gardenhire said, and Willingham probably isn't far behind.

And when they return? "It's not going to be easy to get everyone at-bats," Gardenhire admitted, particularly with some of the fill-ins hitting so well. Chris Colabello has filled the cleanup spot far better than anyone could have expected, as his AL-leading 26 RBIs show, and Josmil Pinto has been an offensive engine at the DH spot.

But that problem is a week off, at least. For now, the Twins hope to keep riding the offense that's averaging 5.52 runs per game, or about two more than last year, with a difficult homestand ahead. Detroit is in town for three games, followed by the Dodgers on Tuesday and the Orioles next weekend. All three teams are above .500, with the first two atop their divisions. One odd stat: The Twins are 1-6 in series openers this season, but 6-1 in finales. They'd like to change that today.